Solar energy is the collection of the sun's energy by systems which convert the power to electricity and/or thermal power. The efficiency of the system determines how much of the sun's energy is collected and utilized.
The positioning of the collector relative to the sun is an important area of research to optimize the power harvested by the system. The more perpendicular the collector is to the sun, the more energy is collected.
When the collector is perpendicular to the sun, the inbound radiant energy density per unit area is maximized. Maintaining a collector perpendicular to the sun as it arcs across the sky at a slightly different elevation every day is expensive because of the need for a system to track the sun. This typically includes sensors, motors and pivots.
The cost to implement a tracking system to keep the collector more perpendicular to the sun can be expensive when compared to the amount of additional energy harvested. The cost to build and maintain the system when compared to the value of the additional useful energy derived from the system determines the return on investment.
Different methodologies not using sensors and motors can also be incorporated to optimize the return on investment. For example, the use of manual tracking where the collector is moved on occasion to capture more of the sun's energy.
The majority of solar collectors are either mounted on racks that can be adjusted based on a single pivot point, or are on motorized trackers that follow the sun.
One of the main limitations of most swivel based systems is that they are a challenge to operate quickly given the weight of the system. Manually adjusted systems with a single pivot point have a single point of failure.
Therefore, there still remains a need for a system that is able to optimize the collection of the sun's energy, while reducing the cost, by collecting the additional energy using a multi-position racking system that is easy to operate.